Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
Previously, cartilage soft tissue lesion treatment and/or surfacing could not be accomplished without significant collateral tissue necrosis using state of the art surgical devices. Smoothness of finish has always been an issue because the current state of the art involves use of cannulated rotating shavers. The finish these tools leave behind is very rough and is typically characterized by high degrees of necrotic tissue as a result of the less than effective means of cutting employed by these types of tools.
Description of Related Art
Conventional electrosurgical hand pieces do not provide the ability for a user to simultaneously drive a plurality of active electrodes in different modes. In addition, many electrode tip configurations require a user to withdraw the electrode from the treatment site, switch to a different hand piece and insert a different hand piece in order to perform a different mode of operation. The increased rate of insertion and removal of tools from a treatment site increases the chances for iatrogenic damage and infection to tissue. There is thus a present need for an electrosurgical tool which can selectively drive multiple active electrodes simultaneously in different modes.